Demonstrations against tourists in Spain continue with increased strength. This weekend it was Barcelona, where 150 activist groups had gathered to demonstrate against mass tourism. Thousands of protesters appeared in several of the city’s popular restaurant districts, with posters such as “tourists go home” and “Barcelona not for sale”. Demonstrators in front of one of Barcelona’s most famous buildings, the Gaudí-designed Casa Milà. Photo: Reuters/NTB Scanpix Some of the protesters had water pistols with them, which they shot at tapas-eating tourists. Elsewhere, tourists were barricaded in the restaurants with plastic cordons. Barcelona is one of the world’s most visited cities. According to the Barcelona Tourism Observatory, the city had 15.6 million visitors in 2023. If you count the surrounding region, Barcelona has almost 26 million visitors a year. – The streets conquered by tourists The demonstrations lead into a series of similar markings in many of Spain’s most popular tourist towns. The locals believe that the tourists push up the price levels and make it impossible to live in the popular areas. They are particularly angry at Airbnb, which has made it very easy to rent out your home to tourists. – We in the local population are withdrawing more and more into our homes because the streets have been conquered by tourists, says local resident Coloma Mestre to El Pais. Also in Valenica there have been recent demonstrations against the increasing flow of tourists. – The rent is going up, and I can afford it because I live with a partner and have a decent salary, but if I was alone, I would have to leave the city, says the 49-year-old teacher Joan. At the end of 2023, there were 5,747 tourist apartments for rent in the city. One year later, online platforms such as Aribnb can offer over 10,000 tourist apartments in Valenica, which gives an increase of over 40 percent. – Tourism is good for the city if it is managed well. If not, it hurts people, says the teacher. The locals in Malaga have had enough of tourists – and the circus they bring with them. Photo: Reuters The country’s most important industry A few weeks ago there were large protests against mass tourism in Malaga, under the slogan “Málaga para vivir, no para sobrevivir” – “Málaga to live, not to survive”. According to El Pais, there were 15,000 out in the streets of Malaga’s historic centre. The police said 5,500, while the organizers stated there were 25,000 protesters. The protests are taking place despite the fact that, according to the Spanish National Bank, tourism is the country’s most important industry. Figures from the bank show that tourism contributed 11.6 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). 9.7 percent of the workforce works in the tourism industry. Record year for Malaga Malaga province had a particularly good year for tourism last year. According to El Espanol, 14 million tourists came to the province in 2023. This was an increase of 9.3 percent from the previous year and one million more than in 2019, the previous record year. The influx of tourists also brought with it record-breaking revenues. The province earned 19.137 billion euros (over NOK 200 billion) from tourists in 2023. That is an increase of 5000 billion from before the pandemic. Published 08.07.2024, at 16.57
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Protesters shot at tourists with water pistols in Barcelona – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
